Star Wars 68: The Search Begins represents the sixty-eighth installment of the Marvel Star Wars comic book series.
The Rebels are still searching for Han Solo, having recently discovered that Boba Fett collaborated with another bounty hunter during the search for the Millennium Falcon. After narrowing their search to three bounty hunters, the Rebels divide into three teams: Lando Calrissian and Chewbacca aboard the Millennium Falcon, Luke Skywalker and R2-D2 piloting his X-wing, and Princess Leia Organa and C-3PO flying a Y-wing. From the list of three bounty hunters, the princess is tasked with finding Dengar, who was last spotted on the planet Mandalore. After landing just outside Kedalbe, the capital city, Leia and C-3PO proceed on foot and soon encounter a caravan of people. Surprisingly, the group turns out to be slavers who are herding enslaved Mandalorians. Before Leia and C-3PO can slip away unnoticed, the caravan is attacked by Mandalorian soldiers, seemingly led by Boba Fett. During the ensuing conflict, Leia saves "Fett" from a slaver's attack and finds herself fighting alongside the Mandalorian, much to her surprise. Once the battle concludes, the Mandalorian leader introduces himself to Leia, revealing that he is not Boba Fett, but rather another Mandalorian named Fenn Shysa. Shysa takes Leia and C-3PO back to his base and explains that he has been working to liberate his people from the Galactic Empire's influence since the end of the Clone Wars. Shysa then shares his history during the Clone Wars, stating that he fought for the Empire under Boba Fett's command and even became acquainted with Leia during briefing missions. Shysa concludes by mentioning that out of all the Mandalorian Protectors, only three survived: himself, his commander, and his childhood friend, Tobbi Dala.
After Shysa finishes his story, Leia inquires about Dengar's whereabouts on the planet. Shysa leads the princess to a caged cell located deep within the Mandalorian base, but he refuses to hand the bounty hunter over to her. Shysa explains that his friend, Dala, was captured a few days before Leia's arrival, and he made a deal with the Empire to exchange Dengar for his imprisoned friend. As Shysa escorts Leia away from Dengar's prison, the bounty hunter calls out to her, promising to reveal everything he knows if she helps him escape. Leia decides to accept his offer, and under the cover of night, she distracts Shysa while C-3PO sneaks over to Dengar's suspended cell and releases him. Dengar's cell falls, landing on two Mandalorians. Before Shysa can react, Leia tricks him into kissing her, using the opportunity to position him near a large tree. With Shysa off balance, the princess slams his head against the tree, rendering him unconscious. With the Mandalorian leader subdued and Dengar freed, Leia and C-3PO return to their ship with their captive, intending to bring him back to the Alliance base for interrogation. Unbeknownst to the princess, Dengar had used the opportunity while being freed to send a signal to the Empire via a transmitter on his armor. Leia and C-3PO are then ambushed by an All Terrain Advance Raider and a squad of stormtroopers, causing C-3PO to declare that the two Rebels are certainly doomed this time.